BLET News

(Source: Chicago Daily Herald, July 10, 2017) CHICAGO — When does a debacle involving 40,000 gallons of crude oil spewing into the ground, perfuming the air with noxious odors and unnerving nearby residents, seem like a blessing? When it's not the worst-case scenario....

(Source: Associated Press, July 10, 2017) NEW YORK — The day of reckoning has come for rail commuters into New York City. Amtrak is beginning extensive repairs Monday to tracks and signals in Penn Station, which it owns and operates. The work was initially scheduled...

(Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 6, 2017) FORT WORTH, Texas — Amtrak’s incoming boss has Texas ties, but can he save long-distance passenger rail service in the state? Richard Anderson, 62, a veteran airline executive who most recently ran Delta Air Lines, will...

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 6, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Continued inaction on an increase of the minimum wage at the federal level hasn’t stopped states and localities from moving on the issue. And last weekend, several...

(Source: Merced Sun Star, July 6, 2017) MERCED, Calif. — All trains on the Union Pacific rail line southeast of Merced have stopped after the Duck Slough Bridge caught fire Thursday afternoon, California Highway Patrol and fire officials said. Full story: Merced Sun...

(Source: Great Falls Tribune, July 5, 2017) HELENA, Mont. — Two state agencies have become more active in monitoring rail safety in Montana following a 2015 audit that noted several lapses and hazards, a legislative committee was told recently. Full story: Great Falls...

(Source: CBS New York, July 6, 2017) NEW YORK — The proposed Gateway Project is pressing ahead, despite uncertainty over who is going to pay for the plan. Full story and video: CBS New York

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 6, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of Amazon’s largest single-day sales event, pilots who fly for Amazon Prime Air are taking their concerns about the future of the delivery service directly to Amazon...

(Source: Press release from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, July 6, 2017) OTTAWA — The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the fourth anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy: "On the 6th of July, we pause to remember the...

(Source: CBS News, July 7, 2017) NEW YORK — Since March there have been three train derailments at New York's Penn Station. Starting Monday, Amtrak will spend about two months replacing a key section of track, and parts of the country's busiest train station will be...